A Few Showers Possible Today, 72 For A High
February 14, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia. area forecast:
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 72. South wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Patchy dense fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Patchy dense fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 77. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Patchy dense fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Patchy dense fog before 7am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 73. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60.
Washington’s Birthday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 78.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 78.
FHP Charges Suspected Hit And Run Driver
February 14, 2018
The Florida Highway Patrol has arrested a man they say is responsible for a deadly hit-and-run in Escambia County.
Lucas Scott Beaty, 28, was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death and tampering with evidence for the crash that happened on Fairfield Drive in November of 2017. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $55,000.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Eldred Williams was hit by a vehicle that left the scene of the crash around 9:01 p.m. Evidence at the scene led authorities to the Chevrolet that was involved.
Tate High Lockdown, Gun Search Prompted By Student With An Umbrella
February 14, 2018
A lockdown and a huge law enforcement response were prompted by reports of a possible person entering the Tate High School campus Monday with a gun. And now we’ve learned that the suspicious person was actually a student with an umbrella.
“My son missed the bus this (Monday) morning and walked to school with his umbrella in hand,” Wesley Whiteside said. “When he arrived at school another student was apparently talking with his dad on the phone and saw my son walking on campus ‘with a rifle’. He reported that to his dad who called 911.”
That phone call led to dozens of Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies responding to the school, working to clear each building make sure there was not a gun-toting individual hiding on campus. They eventually determined what had actually happened.
“We are going to take any report serious of a person walking onto a school premise with a firearm,” Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Andrew Hobbs said, confirming that it was ultimately determined that it was the student with an umbrella that led to a parent’s 911 call.
“When my other son called me and told me what happened I laughed because I thought this could only happen to (my son),” Whiteside said. But then, I got a little scared and angry. What if some ‘concerned citizen’ with a real gun saw my son with an umbrella and thought it was a rifle and decided to take matters into his or her own hands to ‘protect’ the school? Or, what if the deputies talking to my son thought he was reaching for a rifle when he went to retrieve the umbrella from under his desk?”
“Our officers are trained professionals and would not just shoot someone. It would depend on the actions taken by the person; those actions would dictate what officers did. They would not just shoot a person with an umbrella,” Hobbs said.
Whiteside said he is upset that pictures of his son and the umbrella were posted on SnapChat and other social media, but he had nothing but praise for those that responded.
“I’m just thankful no one got hurt from this misunderstanding. I’m thankful for the school administration at Tate and the deputies that responded,” he said.
There were no charges filed in the incident.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Fire Destroys Shed, Motorhome And Vehicle
February 14, 2018
Fire destroyed a shed along with a motorhome and a vehicle under the shed Tuesday in the Pineview community north of Flomaton.
The fire was fully involved when firefighters arrived on scene. The was no immediate word on the cause of the blaze.
The Pineview, Flomaton, Barnett Crossroads and McCall fire departments responded, along with the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fire destroyed
Sparks Fly On Repeal Of Florida Fireworks Restrictions
February 14, 2018
A proposal to repeal Florida’s longstanding restrictions on the sale of fireworks remains alive in the House after lawmakers Tuesday addressed some safety concerns raised by industry giants fighting the change.
The House Commerce Committee voted 15-11 to support the measure (HB 6037), which would repeal a prohibition on the sale and use of fireworks.
Bill sponsor James Grant, R-Tampa, argued the change is needed to open the fireworks market. State law since 2007 has limited the number of permanent retail facilities and temporary tent locations.
“The way previous legislation was enacted ensured no new retail facilities unless they were currently engaged in sales in March of 2007 or if they had already begun construction, after receiving site approval, in 2007,” Grant said. “So this bill does a couple of things: It opens up and introduces the free market.”
The House bill also would end a much-exploited agriculture “loophole” that has allowed people to buy fireworks if they sign a form attesting they are buying the flying and exploding devices to scare birds.
Grant called the form “an insurance policy for retailers.”
The 3rd District Court of Appeal has held that it is not the responsibility of a seller to check the veracity of a buyer’s form.
Companies that sell fireworks in the state raised objections to the bill.
Michael Dobson, representing Phantom Fireworks, said in eliminating the form, the proposal wouldn’t address age limits on who can buy fireworks.
“Minors cannot contract, they cannot sign a waiver,” Dobson said.
Ken Pruitt, a former Senate president now lobbying for Sky King Fireworks, said the current regulations don’t make it difficult for people to find fireworks and that the 2007 changes were enacted to keep out “black market” roadside fireworks vendors that would set up before Independence Day and New Year’s Eve.
“Whenever you just open it up to anybody, if you think for a moment (the Department of Revenue) is going to find that person on the roadside, and many may not have collected sales tax, they’re going to be gone July 5,” Pruitt said.
Before the vote, Grant removed from his proposal a line that would have preempted local governments from being able to adopt “reasonable” rules and regulations on the public display of fireworks. Grant also removed language to end an annual requirement that the state fire marshal test sparklers.
Fireworks industry representatives expressed support for a Senate measure (SB 198) that includes such things as prohibiting the sale of fireworks to anyone under age 18 and authorizing the state fire marshal to adopt rules governing fireworks.
The Senate proposal has idled since receiving support from the Regulated Industries Committee in October.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Pictured: A Flomaton, Ala., fireworks stand, just north of the Florida/Alabama state line. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Tate Splits Softball Games Against Pace
February 14, 2018
The Tate High Aggies varsity softball team fell to Pace High Tuesday night, 5-4.
The game was tied at four when Pace singled in the top of the fifth. Hannah Brown pitched seven for the Aggies, allowing five runs, five hits while recording one error and striking out nine.
For Tate: Shelby Ullrich 2-4, 2B, R, RBI; Hannah Brown 2-4, RBI; Madisen Nelson 1-3, RBI; Shelby McLean 1-4, R; Kayliegh Cawthorn 1-4, Amber Decoux 0-2, R; Ryleigh Cawby 0-3, R.
The Tate Junior Varsity team defeated Pace 16-1 in just three innings.
The Lady Aggies will host Milton High School on Friday, JV at 4:30 p.m. and varsity at 6:30 p.m.
Atmore Breaks Ground On New Splash Pad To Open Before Summer
February 14, 2018
A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Atmore Tuesday afternoon for a new splash pad.
“The project started in July of last year when the Atmore Rotary Club partnered with the City of Atmore and the Atmore Lions Club to attempt to raise funds to build a splash pad here in Atmore,” Allen Walston of the Atmore Rotary Club said.
The splash pad at Heritage Park on South Main Street will be about 2,000 square feet and will have a covered seating area for parents.
Walston said the splash pad will not only be a great benefit for local residents, but it will also become a destination for people from areas like Walnut Hill and Bratt.
“Those people will discover what Atmore has to offer, and they’ll spend money while they are in town, adding to the local economy,” he said.
Construction on the splash pad is expected to begin this week.
“Hopefully this project will be completed by the end of April, first of May,” Walston said.
A video appears below.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Beams Hoisted Into Place On New Arthur Brown Road Bridge
February 14, 2018
Construction is continuing on a new concreate bridge on Arthur Brown Road in Walnut Hill, where beams that will support the bridge deck were put in place Tuesday.
Thew bridge over Boggy Creek near the Walnut Hill Baptist Church will have 11-foot travel lanes, six-foot shoulders and a solid concrete barrier railing. Work is expected to be completed in about a month.
Pictured: Tuesday, concrete beams were put in place on a new Arthur Brown Road bridge. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Charged With Attempted Murder After Taking Shooting Victim To Hospital
February 13, 2018
A man was charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting a woman several times before taking her to a local emergency room.
Gregory Dallas Taylor II transported a female suffering four gunshot wounds to the abdomen to West Florida Hospital Monday night. Taylor originally told the hospital that they had been robbed. But when separated from Taylor, the woman told hospital staff that he had shot her, according to deputies.
Taylor is being held without bond on charges of attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to jail records, he provided a home address in North Carolina.
Ransom Middle Sixth Grader Arrested With Loaded Gun At School
February 13, 2018
A Ransom Middle School student was arrested for bringing a loaded handgun to school Tuesday morning.
The firearm was located on the sixth grader as he exited his school bus, according to Maj. Andrew Hobbs. spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. He said the school resource office was following up on an “ongoing investigation” that led him to the student as he arrived at the school.
The student was charged with possession of a concealed weapon, brandishing a firearm or destructive device on school grounds, and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
After being arrested, the student was transported to a Department of Juvenile Justice facility in Pensacola. The situation was deemed under control, and Ransom was not placed under lockdown.
It is not know of the child had any intent of using the gun or not; there were no injuries.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.